Maddie McCann’s parents may sue over documentary accusing them of covering up daughter’s death

Madeline McCann’s parents are reportedly considering a lawsuit over a documentary that has made its way to YouTube, and suggests that Kate and Gerry McCann are responsible for their daughter’s disappearance.

According to the Mirror, a friend of McCann’s have described the documentary as a “lunatic conspiracy theory.”

The Portuguese film, which the McCanns successfully banned in the UK, is based on the book The Truth of the Lie, written by a former police chief who worked on the early stages of the investigation into Maddie McCann’s disappearance. Goncalo Amaral’s 2008 book Maddie: The Truth of Lie argues that the 4-year-old girl likely died accidentally in her family’s vacation apartment while her parents were dining a short distance away, and that the McCanns fabricated her disappearance in order to avoid any responsibility for her death.

The film is in Portuguese but reportedly has been dubbed over in English in a version available on YouTube. It’s not the first time there been accusatory material available online.

“YouTube videos with lunatic conspiracy theories against the McCann’s have sadly been available on the website for years,” the McCanns friend reportedly told the Sun Online. “It’s not just Amaral but all the anti’s spouting their nonsense.”

The friend continued: “Kate and Gerry can’t silence them all but their lawyers will be looking at any they feel are potentially libellous and damaging.”

The McCanns won a libel case against Amaral in 2015, but the decision was later reversed, and the McCanns lost their appeal of the reversal, opening them up to be sued for damages by Amaral.

Maddie’s parents have vehemently denied they had anything to do with Maddie’s disappearance in May 2007, nearly 10 years ago, and have maintained the support of British authorities, who are continuing to search for the little girl.